Highlights | मुख्य समाचार

1. Indian economy – With the target of rolling out the new indirect tax regime from July 1, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presented 4 bills related to Goods and Service Tax (GST) – Central GST (CGST), Integrated GST (IGST), Union Territory GST (UTGST) and Compensation law Bill - in the Lok Sabha on Monday. Studies estimate that the growth rate could increase by 2% with the implementation of GST. Read our full Bodhi on GST here2. Constitution and law – The Supreme Court, in a major decision on Aadhaar, said that the government cannot make Aadhaar mandatory to pass on the benefits of social welfare schemes. The government had, in February, made Aadhaar mandatory for purchase of ration from fair price shops. Read our Bodhi on Judiciary – Executive standoff, here3. Indian politics – Things do not seem to be going too well for the Aam Admi Party (AAP) as of now. After its huge defeat in the recent assembly elections, the party has suffered a huge blow just before the MCD elections. Its MLA Ved Prakash quit the party and joined the BJP. The legislator also claimed that more than 35 party MLAs are not happy with the party leadership and their functioning. We may witness some more party functionaries quitting the party soon. Read our Bodhi on “State of Indian economy and politics”, here4. Demonetization – RBI Deputy-Governor N S Swaminathan said that the Central Bank has no plans to introduce new denomination currencies. He said the Central Bank wants to encourage cashless transactions which are helpful to the people. He also said that NPAs are affecting the incomes and profits of banks. Read our Bodhis on Demonetisation, here5. Education – President Trump’s policies have started showing their impact on the top educational institutions of the country as well. US universities have registered a sharp decline in the number of applications from Indian students after a series of hate crimes and fear and concerns about potential changes in the visa policies. Read our Bodhi on “Arrival of Donald Trump”6. Society and culture – The Supreme Court directed the Central government to give its plans to prevent farmers’ suicides as this was an important and serious issue. The Court also directed the government to make such a policy which could solve this problem of the farmers. On the issue of minority status to Muslims, the Court asked the central government to sit with the J & K government to resolve the issue.7. Environment – Weather website Skymet has predicted a less than normal monsoon this year as well. The website’s prediction is based on long period average. According to the prediction, pre-monsoon rains could start early in North-east India, as temperatures have already soared in March.8. Companies, products, services – Auto components major Motherson Sumi Systems Ltd. acquired Finnish wiring harness maker PKC Group Plc. Company’s Chief Operating Officer said that the company would get presence in the rolling stocks segment of the modernizing programme of Indian Railways.9. Terrorism – Bagladesh police surrounded a building supposedly a terror den - Atia Mahal - in Sylhet (250 km from Dhaka) following a tip-off. In a dramatic operation, carried out from the top of the building, 78 civilians were rescued. Four terrorists, including one woman, were killed, ending the longest-ever confrontation. Read our Bodhi on terrorism, here10. World politics – President Donald Trump called up PM Narendra Modi to congratulate him on his party’s victories in the recently concluded Assembly elections across India. White House did not confirm which other issues were discussed in the telephonic talk. Indians in America are increasingly feeling threatened due to the anti-immigrant situation. For Running Updates on Important Themes, go here